Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-06
FEVER'S NEW SPECIFIC.
Alcohol as q Remedial Agent In Cases OF
Sfckness-Endnent Physicians
Agree With
DIR. Austin Flint in HIS Advanced Opinions
on the Subject-Its Use Absolute
" Necessary.
NeW York Star.

limited amount Of discussion.
st the la,e medical cooven ion held in
the city Of Washington, DR.. Austin Flint
OF this city, al able and skillFul p5ysi-
clan, read q paper on fever, N which he
upheld ths theory that alcohol was use
fuI medicine il that form Of disease. d..
Flint did not speak from 6 theoretical
standpoint; he has made the effects % al
cohol in illness study fer years. and Ms
deductions, as stated IN his paper, were
the result Of careful study snG snslysis.
"To the pure eli things are pure" and
to the prohibuiorlsts all things pertaining
to whisky are impure. So this paper on
the remedial use Of the product from the
blue grass region dresdfully excited the
gentlemen VINO take no stick in theirs. L
was like shaking Inc soci2lisIiC fag in the
face of the traditional bull, and there
went up G howl tgom The cold water sd
vOCates.
Doctors proyerbiallY disagree, but in
this instance DR.. Flint is supported by
the very beat and most learned men in
the profession, as q Star reporter found
when he visited many professional gen.
tlemen. They were almost unanimous II
the opinion that liquor was OF the CREST
est benefit in many cases OF Sickness,
particularly where the patient was weak
and feeble and needed something to build
up his system in hurry, so TO speak.
Tne first person visited Was DR.. Flint
himself. When told CT the storm Of op-
position from the temperance people
he smiled grimlY, knowing to his own
satisfaction that the subject was capable
OF proof. But when asked to speak on
the subject the learned practitioner be-
came reticent. Il is well known that the
gentleman seeks to Svoid notoriety, pre-
terring to let his deeds OF healing speak
for themselves.
"My opinion on the use Of slCohol in
fever is embodied in the paper L read al
Washington" he said. at has been
printed in various periodicals devoted
exclusively TO the profession, and moth
ing that | csn say would make the subject
clearer than II is In Geld type.n
The full text Of DR.. Flint's paper on
fevers is printed in the Medicsl News of
Philadelphia, under date of September 10.
The paper is pronounced on all sides 30
be very able one.
After speaking of fevers, DR.. Flint goes
on to speak OF remedies, and devotes
considerable space TO alcohol IN that con
nection. Here is what the Doctor says:
The Use Of Alcohol in Fever-Alcohol
is substance the toxic effects Of which,
taken in excess, are quickly and dis
tinctl7 manifested, and there are
few agents more prompt and de-
cided IN their influence in cases
OF disease. Ciinics!ly, the effects OF
alcohol in diseases in which there is e
tendency TO death by asthenia are so
marked that it is often used indiscrimin-
&tely ard iujudicinusly. In the treat
meGt of fever the immense benefit which
follows ire use Of alc0ho! hiss led Ct one
time to its use under ell circumstances +;
and lis indiscriminate administration On
the other hAnd, has produced, from time
&c time, g reaction OF opinion, leading TO
is suppression in csses in which it would
be CT crest service. Macy CT the moral
aTgum MS against the use of alcohol in
diseases are entirely illogical, anG could,
with equal want Of prOpTiety, be applied
20 e number Cf important articles OF the
mateTis medica
Alcohol is a potent agent in the treat
ment of fever, and the clinical guides
which should erect its administration
Sra easily recognizable.
liz no case Of disease, except, perhaps,
IL WI JuStSBISS VI DOlcOulUs W
animal venom, should alcohol DE admin
isteTed to point where the slightest
degree Of alcoholic irtCXiCstion is
apparent.
Alcoholic intoxjc8tion is due to cettair
peculiar effects OF alcohol upon the nerve
centers, and in order 10 produce these
effects the alcohol mus circulate in The
blood. IS these effects pass Of the
~1cNb,.1 ;s o;4h.- c-s &c q ea, ~
by the sziu, lungs g I'd kidneys. Under
normal conditions OF nutrition the effects
OF alcohol ere so rapid and trsnsitOrY
and ere followed by such decided reaC-
ton that it contributes little Or nothing
toward a prolonged resistance TO cold
Experience has shown that it cen not take
the place OF Q highly abundant and fatty
Authorization ir excessive cold, Us in the
Arctic region, and under these conditions
is constant use has been found 10 be
positively injurious. The ssms ramarh
IS n measure srIlicgbIa to all condi-
lions Of healthy rutIiAyn. In continued
fever, however, the conditions are Tadi
cSlly changed. II accordance with thG
views have presented the excessive pro
ductio1 Of hea! il fever is G fixed condi.
ton, continuing for q certain
per- Uu, villa - 1lLllLtl BE LAt
dura ion Of the disease. the pheaom
ena refe-Gbla 10 ire pulse, 70 the nervOu!
system, etc, are secondary to the pyrexia
The psrenchyma.. 10 degenera'iors err
the more remote change Of tissue Whic.
follow and result from transformation!
involved IL the long c0rtiL rcd exec esjv.
production If hoat. f these views b,
accepted as correct Gly readily o&i3i2sb!t
substance 0-tifcia!,y Introduced Will, j
it DC oEidiZad, mitigate tbs SeCOndaTl
effects OF the fever upon The pulse ant
nervous system, and retsrd degenerstiors
provided siwsYS that it does not iGcreast
The density OF the pyreXs. Experience
is not wanted 50 show that these result
follow the jQd-ci0us administration o
alcohol in fever.
1t is well known thst saccheripe on,
starchY articles Of food. as well as tn
liver sugar, rapidly disappear, and tia
starch is rapidly converted into sugar il
digestion. n q remarkable PAGER by DR.
William HuHson Foro, number of inter
esting experiments 8re published, show
ing the presence Of alcohol IN small guam
tity in the NORMAL blood, resulting, &C
cording 70 Iyr. Ford, from the decompo
sition of sugar. In this papeT Dr.. For
makes the t0ll9wing statement:
"The destination OF alcohol, whost
presence in the economy l have thus de-
monsLrateG must be to a hRmsl Oyids